As at 1 March 2021, Zimbabwe had a cumulative number 36 115 COVID-19 cases, and a total of 1 742
Active cases. A total of 1 468 deaths had been recorded since the outbreak of the virus in Zimbabwe 2020.
The impacts of COVID-19 have been widely felt, not only in Zimbabwe but across the globe. COVID-19
and the subsequent lockdowns, posed various socio-economic threats to communities, such as loss of
livelihoods, income, job security etc.
The impacts of COVID-19 are neither gender blind nor gender neutral. Identifying and understanding the
gender dimensions of the pandemic is critical in finding sustainable solutions and responses, which
promote equality. It is thus important that gender dimensions are taken on board at all stages of COVID-19
response to ensure that the COVID-19 recovery plan leaves no one behind. In designing response
strategies, frameworks such as the Zimbabwe National Gender Policy, The Constitution of Zimbabwe, The
SADC Gender Protocol , The Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals, provide
guidance for gender lens response actions and interventions, for Government and other stakeholders.
Lack of gender‐focused reporting and responses on the consequences of the COVID‐19 crisis has resulted
in very few government policies and public health efforts to explicitly address the gendered economic
impacts of the pandemic. This policy brief provides an overview of the gendered economic impacts of
COVID-19. It further provides policy options and recommendations upon which the challenges can be
mitigated.

COVID-19 -GENDER, LIVELIHOODS AND ECONOMY (1)